Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
No-annual-fee flat 1.5% cash back with a 12-month 0% purchase intro APR
American Express® Business Gold Card
Premium Membership Rewards charge/hybrid card — auto-4X on the two highest of six business categories (capped), stacked statement credits, NPSL, no FTF
Costs & Pricing
| Metric | Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card | American Express® Business Gold Card |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $0 | $375 |
| Employee card fee | $0 | Employee Business Gold $95 (first 5 then $95 each); Employee Business Expense Cards $0; max 99 additional cards |
| Purchase APR | 16.74%–24.74% variable (Prime + 9.99% to +17.99%; cap 29.99%) | 17.74%–28.49% variable on Pay Over Time only (Prime + 10.99% to +21.74%) |
| Intro APR (purchases) | 0% fixed for first 12 months (lost if minimum payment missed) | Not a standard public offer (some targeted pages have shown 0% for 6 months on POT-eligible purchases) |
| Foreign transaction fee | 3% | $0 |
| Late payment fee | $40 | $39 or 2.99% of any past-due Pay In Full amount, whichever is greater |
Rewards & Value
| Metric | Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card | American Express® Business Gold Card |
|---|---|---|
| Base earn rate | 1.5% cash back (1.5 Ultimate Rewards points per $1) | 1X Membership Rewards point per $1 on other eligible purchases |
| Welcome bonus | $1,000 cash back after $8,000 in purchases within first 4 months (100,000 points; as of 9/3/2026) | Personalized — marketed as high as 200,000 Membership Rewards points after $15,000 eligible purchases in first 3 months (offer varies; you may not be eligible) |
| Redemption value | 1¢/point for cash, gift cards, and program travel; Amazon Shop with Points 0.8¢/point | Varies by redemption; Amex does not publish a single cpp. Treat Pay With Points / statement credit at ~1¢; transfers can be higher or lower — do not assume 2¢. |
| Transfer partners | Not native on this card; points can be moved to another Ultimate Rewards account for transfer-partner access when paired with eligible cards (e.g., Ink Preferred) | Membership Rewards partners (most airlines 1:1; hotel ratios vary). U.S. airline transfers: excise tax offset $0.0006/point, max $99. Confirm live at membershiprewards.com/pointsinfo. |
Credit & Eligibility
| Metric | Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card | American Express® Business Gold Card |
|---|---|---|
| Personal guarantee | Required — joint and several liability of authorizing officer and business | Required (standard small-business Amex model; no published no-PG path) |
| Credit check | Hard pull on authorizing officer's personal credit (SSN required) | Apply with Confidence — no personal-score impact to learn approval; accepting the card may impact personal credit. Submitting may affect business credit. |
| Employee cards | Free; number not capped in public copy; individual spend limits, lock/unlock, and alerts | Up to 99 total; Gold employee cards $95 structure; Expense Cards $0; spend limits and alerts |
| Product type | Revolving business credit card | Hybrid small-business charge card with revolving Pay Over Time (NPSL on purchases) |
Pros & Cons
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Pros
- $0 annual fee on primary and employee cards
- Uncapped 1.5% on eligible purchases — simple flat-rate earn
- 12-month 0% intro APR on purchases
- Elevated $1,000 / $8,000 / 4-month welcome bonus (as of 9/3/2026); AU spend counts
- Primary business-use rental CDW up to $60,000 on a no-fee card
Cons
- 3% foreign-transaction fee
- No native bonus categories — loses to 2% flats and Ink Cash/Preferred in bonus buckets
- Personal guarantee + hard personal pull + unofficial 5/24 rule
- Welcome bonus blocked if you ever held this or another $0-AF Chase business card
- No balance-transfer intro APR; no cell-phone protection or premium travel credits
American Express® Business Gold Card
Pros
- Auto-4X on whichever two of six categories lead each month, up to $150k combined — no annual category lock-in
- Transferable Membership Rewards (same partner list as other MR cards)
- Statement-credit stack can exceed the $375 fee if credits are enrolled and used
- $0 foreign transaction fee; NPSL plus optional Pay Over Time
- Personalized welcome marketed as high as 200k / $15k / 3 months
Cons
- $375 annual fee plus $95 Employee Business Gold cards
- 4X dies after $150k combined and is only two categories per cycle; 1X residual is weak
- Shipping dropped from 4X (2026 refresh); credits need enrollment and specific vendors
- No lounge, Global Entry/TSA, or airline incidental credit
- Hybrid pay-in-full + high POT APR; late fee can be 2.99% of past-due Pay In Full
Verdict
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
One of the strongest no-annual-fee business cards for flat-rate earn. The Ink Business Unlimited combines uncapped 1.5% cash back, a generous intro APR window, free employee cards, and a elevated welcome bonus — all without an annual fee. Best for domestic spenders who don't need category bonuses or premium travel perks. Poor fit for foreign spend, no-PG seekers, or businesses that would earn more with Ink Cash or Ink Preferred in their bonus categories.
American Express® Business Gold Card
Business Gold is a specialist, not a simple daily driver. Auto-4X that follows whichever two categories win each month is powerful for ads, software, restaurants, gas, transit, or wireless — and the credit stack can more than offset $375 if you already buy those products. After the $150k cap, or if you will not enroll in credits, a no-fee 2% card or Ink Preferred is usually cleaner. Poor substitute for 0% capital, no-PG fintech cards, or Business Platinum travel perks.